Tarot Readings

Today I consulted my Tarot cards about a small dilemma. This year my university’s Fall Formal will also include an evening cruise. I really like boating and cruises, BUT I don’t have a date, and sometimes dances can be awkward for singles. Not to mention the price is a bit steep for my student budget. What else to do but leave this to fate. 😉

So I ask, Should I attend, tell me what will happen. In response, I drew the King of Wands, the Hierophant, and the Princess of Wands.

Alright, this spread makes a lot of sense, but in context is rather odd. You see, the Hierophant is presiding over a marriage! between a young man on the right and his lady on the left. Obviously, the young man correlates to the King of Wands. The woman correlates to the Princess of Wands. But the Hierophant is such a formal, uptight card! It belongs more in a Jane Austen novel than a college dance. This card connotes age and tradition after all.

Anybody who follows my page ought to know that the Princess of Wands is one of my avatars – the vivacious, opinionated one, of course. It’s an odd contrast with the demure lady on the Hierophant. The King of Wands is also the oldest member of my court deck along with the King of Pentacles.

This spread seems to suggest that I will spend time or dance with an older man. The Wands are passionate cards, but this seems more of an intellectual passion than a romantic one. A meeting of minds, per se. Also, cards of the same suite seem too alike to be romantic matches. We shall see.

Like this:

Each week, I perform a Tarot reading for myself that I do not post online. In many ways they serve as practice sessions for “the real thing”. I have decided to post the reading for the week of July 6, 2014 because the result of that reading was too cute not to share.

The moment I saw the spread I had a pretty good idea of its meaning. I had purchased a ticket to the Medieval Times dinner show for July 11. Clearly the celebratory Three of Hearts and the dashing Prince of Swords referred to this event. The Two of Swords is more difficult to interpret here, but it probably signifies a truce. The battle is only a show after all, not actual combat.

So I get there with my group and guess which knight we’re assigned? Why, none other than the Blue Knight. Who perished in mortal combat. Go figure.

Like this:

I was fairly busy in June with finals and the start of summer classes, so I never got around to publishing my monthly reading. Things have quieted down though, and I figured I ought to post my July prediction. Regarding the monthly spread, I find myself once again altering its meaning since I tend to focus on Tarot’s empowering aspect. Therefore, the column now represents goals for the month and the row represents the likely outcome.

Tell me about the month of July.

Theme

July’s spread highlights the Eight of Swords as the theme of this month’s reading. A woman stands paralyzed by doubt and confusion amid amid a prison of spikes. She holds the tool to free herself, but cannot decide upon a course of action. This card is difficult to interpret without context because it both recommends and warns against surrendering to a higher power. It can also advocate both patience and action depending on the situation. However, the problem and solution come of the mind.

Goals

The Star –Illumination

I don’t have access to my scanner now. 😛 However, the Star in this spread would appear at the top of the column, connecting to the spear of illumination in the Eight of Swords. The Star, in general, alludes to healing, hope, and inspiration. It’s a very tranquil and therapeutic card that often reminds me of mineral springs. (More practically, I’m recovering from a sunburn so, yeah, healing springs sound good to me.) Interestingly enough, this star appears at a very unusual time of day; this card depicts the morning not the nighttime.

Eight of Swords –Indecision

I’ll admit I have been feeling a little restless right now. It’s summer and I’m not quite sure what to do with my time. The Star informs me to just enjoy this slow period, and that I don’t have to always be doing something. Rest can be just as important as work.

Two of Hearts – Romance

While I don’t have romance as one of my priorities I am feeling a little lonely with all my friends away. However, the card gives a sense of serenity and peace which pairs nicely with the Star. There is no drama between the two swans, they are content to glide across the calm surface of the water. An added note: the morning star is often equated with Venus, the goddess of romance. It can also align with Lucifer. Make of that what you will.

Outcomes

Queen of Swords – Independence

Hi Mom. Don’t know what her appearance here means but we’ll see… Maybe she’ll bring about the good tidings of the Sun.

Eight of Swords – Indecision

So far, I’ve been doing to much waiting and not enough, well, doing. However the serenity of the Star tells me this will not come about from a furious burst of activity. I should be patient and good things will come.

The Sun – Radiance

Celestial bodies abound this month! Considering it is summer vacation, the appearance of the Sun is quite appropriate. When paired with the Eight of Swords, it tempers that card’s frustrating tendencies.

Reading

Overall, I’m rather bored and want to do something but feel limited in that regard. This month’s spread tells me to relax, things will work out, and to just appreciate the time of relaxation.

Like this:

It’s finally May, and the flowers are blooming. In terms of weather, April was a rough month. It actually snowed! In terms of Tarot, though, it wasn’t actually that exciting. My reading for April told me that I would be reading and writing about poetry, and guess what happened? I read and wrote poetry. (I also did a reading on April 1st. I should have known better…) But anyways-

Tell me about the month of May.

Three of Hearts – Celebration

Three dancers representing Faith, Hope, and Charity celebrate the happiness in their lives. With hearts borne aloft and a floor littered with colorful flowers and fruit, the scene glows with friendship, festivity, and love.

Ten of Wands – Oppression

Surrounded by a smoldering cloud of gloom, a lone man bears a heavy burden. Exhausted by the weight, the man seems ready to collapse, but nobody is there to help him.

The Moon – Night Journey

In a dark landscape, a young girl stands lost and alone. She gazes at the moon in fear. At that moment the moon emerges fully from the clouds to illuminate a castle and lead the girl home.

Princess of Hearts – Tenderness

The sweet, naive Princess of Hearts reads from the parchment in her hands. She smiles warmly , perhaps bashfully, at its contents. Is it a poem, a letter, or even a confession of love?

Ace of Hearts – Love

A winged, purple heart flutters out from a beautifully embossed vase.

Reading

At the heart, pardon the pun, of this reading lies the Three of Hearts, a symbol of friendship and celebration. The presence of the Princess of Hearts,Three of Hearts, and Ace of Hearts, clearly speaks about love and relationships, not romantic love but the love of a dear friend. In that context, the Ten of Wands and the Moon tell of loneliness. The man in the cave has nobody to help him, and his heart is weighed down. The Moon appears to the lost, lonely girl to show her the way home. The message of this reading is of a reprieve from loneliness and inclusion in a community.

Like this:

Reviewing the February spread, I can say that the Three of Pentacles was the most accurate card. I start a part-time job on Monday after applying and interviewing through the month of February.

Seven of Hearts – Illusion

A woman borne aloft on the wings of fantasy reaches for seven pulsating, colorful hearts. This is the magical world of imagination. This card can symbolize many things such as fulfilling dreams and having choices but also temptation, delusion and entrapment.

Two of Pentacles – Change

Two pentacles are linked by an infinity loop, representing the duality of opposites. On each side wriggles a snake, the symbol of rebirth and regeneration. At this time of year, the winter quarter concludes and the spring begins. The Two of Pentacles tells me that this shift may dominate the first part of the month.

Six of Pentacles – Generosity

From the amphora held by the Earth goddess, comes a stream of jewels. There are no pretensions or deceptions here. To give is to receive. The question is: am I the giver or the receiver of the wealth shown here?

Ten of Wands – Oppression

Deep in the bowels of the Earth, a man struggles with his burden alone. He is weighed down by his task, overworked and exhausted. This month I have not only my classes and homework but also my job to attend to. I may need some time to adjust to the increased workload.

Prince of Wands – Ambition

The ambitious Prince of Wands rides off into the unknown. He is a pioneer eager to advance his own goals. This is a little tricky. This card also appeared in my New Year’s spread where I believed it represented my father and my move to university. Furthermore, my father has been helping with tuition. Does this card represent his influence? Or this a completely new individual in my life. One of my earlier spreads did indicate that I would enter a relationship with a Prince of Wands type.

Reading

The key to this spread revolves around the Seven of Hearts. It functions as the fulcrum to the column and row. It balances the two pentacles and balances the two wands. Pentacles and wands appearing together imply my career, because they represent ambition and material reward. The appearance of the Seven of Hearts though warns that I need to keep my priorities straight. I think this spread tells of an increased workload due to the job; however I will not be solely dependent on outside generosity anymore.

Like this:

Recently, J.J. posted a piece about reading Tarot for parties. Parties are without doubt the most stressful environment to perform the art. Noise, commotion and chaos abound. The clients jostle in line impatient for their turn. As for privacy, forget about it.

In this instance, I was not the tarot reader. I was the client. My school held a Mardi-Gras celebration with musicians, circus performers, face painters, caricaturists, and of course fortune tellers in attendance. Well, one fortune teller to be exact. Curious about the style of a fellow reader I jumped in line.

I found that the other students held some misconceptions about Tarot. I reassured one couple that of course they could have a reading together. Tarot is about conversation and insight. Others thought that their fortune had to be kept secret from companions which of course is false.(I mean, sure, if one wants to…)

I also studied the Tarot reader herself, Therese. Naturally, she donned the full gypsy getup for the Mardi Gras party. Tarot readings focus on performance at such events. I noticed though that she used a rather complex spread: a twelve month spread. I became aware that she concentrated on dialogue with her clients more than the cards. The cards were just a springboard to conversation. It’s not a style that I personally like though many clients do. I love the interaction of cards and such spreads are too busy and imprecise. One gets the sense that the reader is fishing for information, but I won’t criticize. If the goal is to entertain, then such techniques are fair game especially at parties. The more you as the reader know about the client the better the advice will be.

Finally, my turn arrived. I sat down, asked my question and shuffled the cards. I wanted to know about my career. As my followers should know, my dream is to write magazine articles. Therese first pointed out the Four of Wands among all the cards. She asked if I was a fourth year student, but I corrected this assumption. She believed that I would get a relevant job in about three to four months in the future. (I start a job next week, but it’s not a field I want to end up in.) That is seriously, seriously weird. If you refer to my New Year’s post, note that the Four of Wands also appears in my spread for this Spring.

For clarification, she drew the Two of Swords and the Three of Swords. Therese noted that this particular job may not be exactly what I’m looking for but I should definitely take it anyway. I usually wouldn’t take such an optimistic view to the appearance of these cards, but the Four of Wands was definitely dominant in the group. For some perspective on this, I would like to write for NatGeo type magazines. However, this past week I met an investigative journalist who offered to introduce me to the journalistic field. Politics are not really what I want to write about, being more interested in culture, science, and travel, but I can’t deny that it might open some doors. Therese had some misses trying to guess the exact field I wanted to write for. She was thinking medicine.

At this point, Therese diverted the focus. She directed her attention to a different group which I can’t quite remember. Unfortunately. But I do remember the Magician being dominant here. From these, she extrapolated that I had a great vision in the artistic sense. Something about profound visual acuity. BINGO. At that point I swung at my phone to show her the photos on it. I love photography and like to think that I have a pretty good eye for it. (Please refer to my other blog. All photographs are my original work.)

Finally, she returned to the original group and drew the Moon. That’s when she said something bold. She cautioned that she usually didn’t predict such things, but this job would lead me to Africa! What!? That’s a shocking prediction. But not as far-out as it would seem. I have close relatives who live in South Africa. That’s a pretty cool thing to look forward to.

The reading was pretty fun, but not as in depth as I like. But that’s perfectly alright for the circumstances. I really liked that the Four of Wands appeared in her as it did in mine. Furthermore, this reading helped me to see the bigger possibilities. Working in Africa on an assignment. Hell. Yeah.

Like this:

Tonight, there’s a big frat party being held on campus: Heaven and Hell. First of all, I’ll just say that frat parties aren’t really my thing; I don’t drink with the exception of a cocktail now and then at a classy restaurant. As you can imagine, a party devoted to drunkenness and hooking-up just doesn’t hold much appeal for me. However, I was a little bored on the romantic front. (My personality tends toward the angelic, but part of me is vain and eager for attention.) Thus I had a dilemma on my hands. Endure the debauchery and enjoy the attention, or forgo the party entirely.

So I asked the cards, “Should I attend the party?”

The High Priestess and the Magician appear together, facing each other too! They are a complementary pair: yin and yang, dark and light, night and day, female and male.

On the one hand, the union of these two cards suggests confidence and readiness, a theme continued in the Two of Wands. On the other hand, the cards could suggest a far more literal union of male and female. I draw another card for clarification.

Nine of Hearts – Fulfillment

The Nine of Hearts… Well, that settled it. I decided not to go to this party. In the entire deck, this card is the most suggestive of sexual relationships. Waayy too adventurous for me at the moment. With two separate parts of the spread hinting at sex, I figured this is a path best left untrod. I’m not exactly in the market for a fling, especially not in a relationship formed at a frat party.

Notice that the cards didn’t tell me anything in terms of good and bad. They only suggested a possible outcome and allowed me to determine my future for myself. In my heart, I didn’t really want to attend. Instead I will go to a more traditional social event, a dance.